At this point, no one doubts that the interstellar object 3l/ATLAS has become something fascinating both for the global scientific community and for the general public. Well, to your halo of mystery now one is added mysterious periodic signal in its luminositywhich has been described as a cosmic heartbeat by astrophysicists like Avi Loeb. This light pattern, which has been documented in a study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysicsis repeated with astonishing precision every 16.16 hours.
The discovery has occurred shortly before the comet reaches its point of closest approach to Earthwhich will happen next December 19. On that day, it is expected to happen solo 273 million kilometers of our planetwhich will provide an excellent opportunity to view and analyze it in more detail.
Although comet 3l/ATLAS has interstellar origin, that is, it comes from beyond our solar system, Its characteristics make it similar to other weakly active comets. that do inhabit the outer regions of our planetary system. This has led researchers to pose a hypothesis around your repetitive pulse of light that rules out any extravagant interpretation.
The key is in the core
Specifically, the authors of the study suggest that the beat It is due to the rotation of the planet’s core. Avi Loeb, an astronomer at Harvard, has collaborated with them and has shown his conclusions in a blog article. Apparently 3l/ATLAS houses a ice bag on the surface of its corewhich is cyclically exposed to solar radiation due to the aforementioned constant rotation.
In this way, when the nucleus faces the Sun, the ice sublimates and causes the expulsion of a jet of material. This jet of gas and dust intermittently floods the coma, which is the gaseous envelope that surrounds the nucleus, and gives rise to a temporary increase in the luminosity of the object every 16.16 hourswhich is the period of rotation of the comet on itself. Another mystery solved around the most enigmatic celestial body in recent years.
The path of the jets
On the other hand, although the photographs released by NASA and all the observations made allow us to determine that 3l/Atlas is a natural comet, the controversial Avi Loeb insists that it is necessary to continue studying the origin of these ejections. Especially, analyzing the trajectory of the emitted jets. In the hypothetical and practically ruled out case that it was an object of a technological nature, their directions may not be oriented towards the Sunbut rather be guided by randomness or other unknown criteria.
In any case, all the information that can be obtained about 3l/ATLAS, especially when it makes its closest approach to Earth, will be valuable. After all, it could help us understand the evolution of interstellar objects and their materials beyond the borders of our own solar system.
